Windows Server

Windows Server

Two-Way Syncing a Windows Desktop to a Storage Box with rclone bisync and Task Scheduler

Two Windows laptops, one SMB storage box, no OneDrive: rclone bisync every 10 minutes via Task Scheduler, with the resync, filter and PST gotchas I hit.

hardware

My Gaming Laptop Called Its Own Charger "Non-Original" and Throttled Everything — an EC Reset Fixed It

HP gaming laptop flagged its original charger and throttled CPU + GPU. Measuring it with PowerShell and nvidia-smi, and the EC reset that fixed it.

Windows Server

Microsoft 365 Expired? Rescuing a Mailbox from the Local OST into a PST

The M365 subscription lapsed, the mailbox was locked server-side, only Outlook's OST cache was left. How I got 3,844 items into a PST plus .msg files.

Windows Server

Mapping a Storage Box as a Windows Network Drive (and Why Windows "Forgets" the Password)

Map an SMB storage box as a persistent Windows drive with PowerShell, and fix the MicrosoftAccount\ prefix that makes Windows lose the saved password.

Windows Server

Managing Windows Server Core Without a GUI

Run Windows Server Core without the desktop — sconfig basics, PowerShell remoting, Windows Admin Center, adding roles, and the gotchas that catch GUI admins.

Windows Server

Windows Task Scheduler from PowerShell — Cron for Windows

Create and manage scheduled tasks on Windows from PowerShell — New-ScheduledTaskAction, triggers, run as SYSTEM, S4U logon, XML export, and the gotchas.

Windows Server

wbadmin — Free Bare-Metal Backup on Windows Server

Free bare-metal backup on Windows Server with wbadmin and Windows Server Backup — one-off image, scheduled policy, and the full WinRE recovery drill.

Windows Server

Hosting a Website on IIS — Windows Server Without the Bloat

Set up IIS from PowerShell without the bloat — install only the role services you need, create an app pool and site, bind HTTPS, harden, verify. No clicking through the GUI.

Windows Server

Hyper-V on Windows Server — Your First VM Without the GUI

Install Hyper-V and build your first VM on Windows Server entirely from PowerShell — switch, VHD, ISO, boot order, Secure Boot, checkpoints. The commands I run.

Windows Server

DHCP on Windows Server — Scopes, Reservations, and the Gotchas

Set up the Windows Server DHCP role end to end in PowerShell — install, authorise in AD, scope, options, reservations, failover. The gotchas that cost real time.

Windows Server

Reset a Windows Password with the Sticky Keys Trick (sethc.exe)

Alternative to the Utilman trick — replace sethc.exe to get SYSTEM-level cmd at the Windows lockscreen. When to use it, how to harden against it.

Windows Server

RDP Hardening on Windows Server — NLA, IP Allowlist, and Audit

Lock down RDP on Windows Server — enforce NLA, restrict the firewall to specific IPs, audit failed logons, kill the bot brute-force traffic. The settings I run on every internet-exposed server.